Live Updates — Ryan Day’s Tuesday Presser, Sept. 10

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will meet with reporters today at noon to look back at the game against Cincinnati and look ahead to Saturday’s matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers. We will have live updates here throughout his media sessions, so refresh for updates once the festivities get underway right around 12:00 pm.

+ It is amazing no matter where Ohio State goes, the number of Buckeye fans who travel. It’s unbelievable to feel their support on the road. “That’s special.”

+ If there was an easy answer to the losses at Purdue and Iowa the last two years, those losses wouldn’t happen. You have to bring it every single week, and you do that through preparation and make sure you’re better than you were the week before.

+ The play is never over with Justin Fields, so receivers have to stay alive on those scrambles. It’s an ongoing process of improvement.

+ JK Dobbins is the no. 1 back, so he’s going to get the bulk of the carries, but the other running backs have to support him. It depends on the number of plays in a drive at times. A long drive may require a substitution.

+ Justin Fields was “okay” and “good” in handling the running game reads and where his eyes were. But every time he plays, he’ll get better and better at that.

+ Day’s favorite aspect of this defense is that they’ve been through struggles and have the scars to show for it.

+ This defense allows the best version of the players to come out, but it’s still just two games in. These guys are hitting. Shaun Wade is extremely talented. He helps in a low

+ The most important job for his new defensive staff was stopping the run. It wasn’t going to come down to scheme, it was going to be about toughness. He also wanted to make sure there was a 4-down linemen look because that’s what Larry Johnson does.

+ IU QB Michael Penix is very talented. Ohio State recruited him. Day isn’t surprised he’s playing as a redshirt freshman. He has a good football IQ. “I think he’s going to have a very good career.” He’s mobile and accurate and he’s smart.

+ Day watched the entire LSU-Texas game. “I couldn’t be prouder of Joe [Burrow].” He’s playing at a high level.

+ JK Dobbins had a “funky” first game because the run fits weren’t great. The second game the line did a great job blocking for him and he ran tough. Dobbins had two great blocks last week against UC. He improved from week one to week two.

+ Austin Mack has made some big catches in his career. They need to be able to rely on him on third downs. He knows what it takes to be a wide receiver at Ohio State.

+ Jaylen Harris has done a good job on special teams, so when you do a good job on special teams, you deserve to play. He got in the game early on Saturday. Now he’s got to go prove it in a game.

+ Jeff Okudah is playing like a pro. He’s approaching it that way. He’s decisive on the field. He has experience and knows what to expect. Okudah will tell you he’s still a long, long way away from being a finished product. “He’s killing it.” He’s doing a great job as a gunner as well.

+ It’s hard to tell how good the run-after-catch abilities are with these receivers. Day is interested in finding out. They’re getting open though.

+ There isn’t as much throwing over the middle of the field because the game plan isn’t calling for it right now. They’re still getting Justin Fields comfortable as well. It’s all there, but there’s been more zone recently, so that has played a part in it as well.

+ The road is always an issue because noise is an issue on third downs and you have to ride the emotion of the crowd. But you still have to stop the run and play with toughness. That’s how you win on the road.

+ Justin Fields picked up from where he left off in week one. He made some good decisions, but took a couple of hits that he didn’t need to. It was a pretty clean game other than that. He got away with a couple of throws that he may not against better competition. Mike Yurcich gets a lot of credit for getting Fields ready for what he has seen so far.

+ Master Teague didn’t practice much in the preseason, but has run hard in the last two weeks. If he practices like he plays, he’ll get into a rhythm and have an impact on this team.

+ There have not been any dramatic differences with Indiana’s offense or defense despite new coordinators.

+ Indiana has a good team now a couple of years into their defense. Going on the road in the conference is always tough, especially at Indiana.

+ Binjimen Victor is important as this team goes forward. As the X receiver, if he can win those one-on-one battles, that changes how a defense defends you. He has to win those now in conference play as well.

+ How do they keep the players from feeling too good about themselves, Day said the messages are still in the film. Immature players and coaches thinking winning means everything is good. Film tells the truth and veterans can identify those issues and be critical of themselves. So you keep hammering on that to the younger players.

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One Response

We might find out how good our corner cover skills sre in this game. They have experience in their OL so their QB will get some time here and there. Both of our corners have up a couple of big receptions. I hope they do well, and if they struggle early,I hope they recover late.